-LRB- CNN -RRB- This week , three more women came forward to accuse Bill Cosby of drugging and assaulting them . That brings the total up to more than 30 women who have accused the comedian and actor of sexual assault in events going back decades . All of the allegations have passed statutes of limitations , which means rape charges can not be filed .

The women 's reasons for not coming forward earlier amount to : fear of retaliation , and fear no one would believe them . Fear .

A few days ago , it appeared that former `` Cosby Show '' cast mate Phylicia Rashad was condemning the women making the allegations . `` Forget these women , '' Showbiz 411 had quoted Rashad as saying . `` What you 're seeing is the destruction of a legacy . And I think it 's orchestrated . '' She was subsequently blasted throughout the media for what many took to be a dismissal of rape victims and a defense of Cosby .

On Wednesday , in an interview with ABC News , Rashad said she was misquoted and attempted to clarify those comments . What she 'd meant to say was that , `` This is not about the women . This is about something else . This is about the obliteration of legacy , '' she said . She blamed the media for declaring `` guilt without proof '' and described Cosby as `` a genius . He 's generous . He 's kind . ''

Over the past several months , allegations have painted Cosby as a sexual predator , a serial rapist , a man who , over many decades , allegedly drugged and assaulted women , many of whom had viewed him as a mentor and guide . Still , no charges have been filed . He has not stood trial . He has not been convicted . -LRB- His attorneys have vehemently denied the allegations . -RRB- Which raises the question : Could a man accused of such things by so many ever deserve defense ? What if the man is someone you call a friend ?

It 's fairly easy for most of us to condemn Bill Cosby , because he is not a person we actually know . For Rashad , the matter becomes more complicated . Cutting out a stranger is one thing ; cutting out a friend is another .

And yet that 's what Rashad has to do -- that 's what we all have to do .

We all have friends who have acted badly in one way or another . Maybe -- and I mean maybe -- you can continue a friendship with someone who has been accused , once , of rape , if you have asked the right questions and satisfied yourself that the one allegation is not true . But you can not say , `` It 's none of my business , '' or `` We do n't know the story . ''

The simple fact is you can not be friends with a man whose accusers are in the double digits , even if this man is still walking free -- perhaps especially if this man is still walking free . Not if you want the rape of women to stop happening .

That Cosby likely wo n't be charged for any of the alleged crimes he is accused of is a scenario not at all unique to him . Every year , literally countless men who engage in sexual violence against women do not face charges , for reasons as varied and familiar as those given by the women in the Cosby scandal . The law is not perfect , and has limitations . That 's where the rest of us come in .

Boycotting these men , excluding them from our lives , not being their friends , their defenders , their devil 's advocates . Holding them accountable . Turning our backs . Stopping the rationalizations . This is where and how we take a stand .

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Peggy Drexler : Phylicia Rashad defended Bill Cosby , accused in multiple alleged rapes

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Drexler says women must not do this if they want the rape of women to stop happening